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Microsoft Reveals Windows 8.1 Details

Published Date 6/27/13 2:49 PM

Microsoft has demonstrated Windows 8.1, an update to the oft-criticized Windows 8, at its Microsoft Build Developer Conference this week. Although participating executives, including CEO Steve Ballmer, acknowledged changes were needed to Windows 8, no apologies were offered for the OS. Users were frustrated with the experience presented when switching between desktop and modern interface modes, the loss of the start menu, and inability to boot to the desktop in Windows 8. Some market-research firms attributed the recent decline in PC sales to Windows 8. The company has retooled the OS so that it can be more easily used across various platforms, including mobile devices’s smaller displays, and restored both the start menu and the ability to boot to the desktop, which allows users to skip the display of the “Start” screen. Industry analysts say the release could be good for Microsoft’s bottom line. “They’re setting themselves up for a nice holiday season this year,” said Gartner Inc. analyst Carolina Milanesi. (San Jose Mercury-News @ Bloomberg Businessweek)(PC Mag)(Windows 8.1 Previews)

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